Road works on a stretch of one of the most notorious freight routes on the Carnarvon Highway just north of Moree is about to get underway, says Northern Tablelands MP Adam Marshall.
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Preparation works have begun for the $2.7 million upgrade of a six-kilometre stretch of the highway between the Gwydir River and Carole Creek, from five kilometres north of Moree. The work will see the road surface rebuilt and widened.
“Already a culvert has been widened there and work will start on building a side track to be used while the highway upgrade is undertaken,” Mr Marshall said.
“And if the weather is kind to us, work might also be able to start on the new overtaking lane that is part of the upgrade so holiday traffic isn’t inconvenienced. The actual highway road works will start first thing in the new year and that involves widening and reconstructing that length of the road surface.”
With the large volume of heavy vehicle traffic, it’s becoming quite dangerous for all road users
- Adam Marshall, Northern Tablelands MP
The work is being undertaken by Moree Plains Shire Council on behalf of Road and Maritime Services (RMS) and is scheduled to take about six months.
Mr Marshall inspected the site recently with Roads Minister Duncan Gay and said the project is part of a multi-million dollar program that is upgrading key freight routes across the area.
“The road is very narrow with crumbling edges and with the large volume of heavy vehicle traffic, it’s becoming quite dangerous for all road users,” Mr Marshall said. “It is a major transport artery between Moree and the towns of Mungindi, Garah and Ashley, but this section has fallen into poor condition.
“A number of truck operators and local farmers have complained to me about this section of road so I was delighted to see an upgrade included in this year’s budget allocations and a practical start on the project in January is very welcome.”
Mr Marshall said the preparatory works have included geometric design for road levels, drainage design, environmental assessment, traffic control plans and work health and safety assessments.
“It is the next investment in improving some of the critical road and freight infrastructure we have in this region and complements some of the other big ticket works underway,” he said.
